Unlikely Friends
by maybejay
Summary: A collection of short stories of Mabel and Pacifica's Unlikely friendship, set in the Transcendence AU
1. Chapter 1

Moving these from my tumblr to fanfiction because why not.

Gravity Falls isn't mine, nor is the idea of the Transcendence AU, I just like to write.

* * *

Mabel starting school in Gravity Falls was, well, surprisingly normal. Most of the residents there knew of her and her brother and what they did, so when she was up in front of the class, introducing herself for the first time, no one blinked twice when she pointed to the empty space next to her to introduce Dipper as well. She seemed to fit right in, quickly falling to a regulated pattern at school.

Lunches she almost always spent with Candy and Grenda, they were, after all, her best friends. It wasn't uncommon to see the three of them together either, chatting away while Mabel, every so often, turned to the empty space next to her that people knew was where Dipper was, and bring him into the conversation too. Asking things like "how's Dipper?" would result in her saying "He says he's fine and wants to know how you've been." Of course this mostly stuck to her friends.

After all this was school, and that meant that it was still common for rumors to float around and people to talk or keep their distance. Luckily for Mabel, it wasn't as bad as when she was still living at home with her parents. Of course, as per usual, the people to talk the most were the "Popular" kids. The group Pacifica usually sat at.

"She's doing it again."

"God its creepy."

"Like, I know her brothers there or, whatever, but still. Can't he just like, make himself appear so it doesn't look weird?"

Pacifica looked between her friends but chose not to speak, oddly enough. Personally She found this constant conversation between her friends rather dull. After all it was the same thing almost everyday. Sure, she got a kick out of making fun of the uncool kids as much as the next rich gal, but this was definitely getting boring.

Not that she would say it out loud.

"Too much effort or something," Pacifica forced a grin on her face and giggled smugly, "Some demon, am I right?" When her friends burst into laughter, she joined them-

Only to have her salad suddenly flip up and into her face. She shrieked in shock and then sputtered as she quickly pushed the lettuce leaves off her face. Giggling from across the cafeteria caught her attention and she glared in the direction of Mabel and her group of friends.

Mabel shrunk into her seat a little, but still grinned before giving a small wave over in Pacifica's direction.

"Dipper says sorry!" She yelled over at her, and Pacifica's glare increased. Like hell he did! As if confirming her thought, her drink suddenly found itself tipped over her head, sweet sugary pop sticking to her hair.

Pacifica shrieked again, slamming her fists on the table while her friends scrambled to find some napkins to dry her off, which Pacifica just pushed aside, storming towards the cafeteria exit to find the bathroom. She paused for a moment to turn back to Mabel and her friends.

"Like hell he is!" She snapped before spinning on her heals and leaving, her friends hot on her heals.

* * *

The next few days were spent with Mabel trying to apologize to Pacifica, and every time Pacifica stopped to actually, maybe, listen to what she had to say, Dipper would find a way to mess with her. Whether it was pulling her hair, knocking her books from her arms, grabbing her bag and running off with it (seriously, running after a flying bag during lunch hours in a crowded hall was not in her to-do list), whatever it was, Dipper did it.

Though despite how pissed off she was at him for doing such a thing, she couldn't help but notice that Mabel seemed to be getting upset with her brother as well. Perhaps She wasn't in cahoots with her brother in these pranks. Still there was no way for Pacifica to really know, and with her friends constantly hovering around and making sure Mabel stayed away from her it was just really difficult to find out.

Finally she settled for a classic, slipping a note into Mabels bag asking to meet with her behind the school during lunch time. It was easy enough to ditch her friends, she'd done it often enough, just excused herself to the bathroom and that was it.

She didn't have to wait long behind the school when Mabel appeared, grinning widely at her. Pacifica forced herself not to roll her eyes at the girls enthusiasm. It wasn't like they were friends, she had no reason to be excited to see her.

"Pacifica! I'm so glad you asked to meet me, what did you want to talk about? Did you want to hang out later? Oh, oh, did you want to go for ice cream?! I could totally go for Ice cream-"

"Yeah, sure whatever," Pacifica interrupted, this time actually rolling her eyes. Examining her nails she spoke up again, "So what, is Dipper here too or did he actually let you come meet me alone."

"Oh, no, he's here," Mabel grinned, "I hope you don't mind. I promise he wont pull any pranks on you this time." She sent a pointed glare to the empty space to her left so Pacifica could only assume that's where Dipper was currently floating. Sighing she rolled her eyes and shook her head.

"Well, whatever." hands on her hip she looked down for a moment and...what was it she wanted to talk to Mabel about again. Mabel just stood there in front of her, ever present smile and blinking.

"Okay so...first things first, You're really not responsible for any of the stuff your brothers been pulling on me?" Best get that out of the way first. Mabels eyes widened and she quickly shook her head.

"Nuh uh!" She protested, "I mean, sure we didn't exactly get along during the summer...you know...before..." Mabel trailed off and Pacifica herself felt a little uneasy about that particular topic. It had recently started being referred to as the Transcendence but those in Gravity Falls, especially the ones who had been involved or new people who were involved, still had a hard time calling it that.

"Anyway," Mabel continued, smiling up at Pacifica, "I just, you know...I still think we can possible get along-don't give me that look Dipper!" Pacifica snorted a laugh and rolled her eyes. She knew what Mabel was referring too, their little Mini golf tournament. If she were to be honest, she felt the same.

Of course being friends with the girl who was directly involved in the...Incident...who's brother was now a Demon would seriously put a blow in her Social Status so she was not about to do that.

"Not sure what your brother said, but I can kind of guess he doesn't think so and honestly," Pacifica rolled her eyes, "As much as it pains me to say it, I agree with him."

Mabel's smile dropped and Pacifica felt a small weight settle in her stomach-guilt? oh god did she feel guilt?! That's a new one. The feeling increased as Mabel forced a smile back onto her face, though it didn't reach her eyes.

"O-Oh. Well that's okay I mean...we can still talk, right-"

"God, what is wrong with you?!" Pacifica snapped out of no where, causing Mabel to jump in surprise before blinking in confusion.

"Pacifica...?"

"Why do you do this?!" Pacifica continued, frustration building inside her. This whole time she spoke with Mabel she could tell something was wrong but couldn't place her finger on it but seeing Mabel force a smile, the pieces just fell into place.

"You have been through so goddamn much! And you just smile and pretend it's okay, that everything is all fine and dandy, sunshine and rainbows! I can't say I know whatever the hell happened back home to bring you back to Gravity Falls but I do know you've been acting weirder than usual and-" Pacifica paused to groan loudly before looking at Mabel, almost desperately.

"Why won't you just cry?!" She asked, "Why wont you let yourself be upset and just let it out?!"

There was a long moment of silence between them and distantly Pacifica heard the bell ring, signalling the end of lunch break. She didn't move however, and neither did Mabel who stood there, staring at Pacifica in shock.

After a moment she saw Mabel swallow before a single tear slid down the side of her face. Mabel took a shaky breath before speaking, her voice cracked.

"B-because...I have to...to be strong...for Dipper..." She whispered, "Because...because he has no one else...to lean on any more-" A sob choked out at the end of her sentence and she looked down, swatting at the air halfheartedly before rubbing at her eyes with the sleeves of her sweater.

Pacifica stood there for a moment, not sure what to do. What do you do when someone cries in front of you? How do you comfort them? Especially when, technically, its your fault. She shifted awkwardly, (and if she could see Dipper all she'd see was an angry glare sent her way) before walking over to Mabel.

Hesitantly she reached up and pulled Mabel in for a hug. That's what you do right? Hug them? It helps, doesn't it? Mabel stiffened at the contact, and for a moment Pacifica felt like she should probably let go...until Mabel reached around her and clung to her tightly.

And she cried.


	2. Chapter 2

The Sleepover

* * *

A few weeks had passed since Pacifica had confronted Mabel about the whole Dipper thing and her...comforting her, and honestly, Pacifica was starting to regret it. Mabel had taken that as a "oh we're friends now!" instead of a one time affair which is what it was supposed to be.

Mabel constantly called out to her, whether it was during breaks, lunch, or in the hallway, Mabel kept trying to chat with her. It was like the whole conversation of "No, we're not going to be friends" never happened.

Pacifica was ready to pull her hair out, and she loved her hair.

Currently Mabel was walking next to her as they exited the school building chatting animatedly about something or another, Pacifica wasn't really paying attention. In fact she was trying her hardest to get away from Mabel and-where was her ride?!

"Ohhh, bummer, you're ride isn't here yet."

"Thank you captain obvious..." Pacifica muttered darkly. Mabel just giggled next to her before skipping around to stand in front. Pacifica groaned. She really didn't want to be stuck here with Mabel longer than she had too.

"So yeah, it's Friday right?"

"You're very good at stating the obvious."

Mabel stuck her tongue out childishly at the comment but giggled good naturedly. Pacifica had to resist the urge to smile as well.

"Well, Candy and Grenda were going to have a sleepover and-oh hush Dipper-and I was wondering if you'd like to come as well?"

Pacifica blinked, still not used to Mabel interrupting her speech to talk to thin air, even though it should be obvious because of Dipper. Slowly she processed what Mabel was asking and gave the girl a confused look.

"A what?" What's a 'sleepover', she wondered. Mabel's jaw dropped open and she suddenly was reminded of the time when they were twelve and Mabel used the word 'sharing'. She still didn't quite understand what that meant.

"You've never had a sleepover before?!" Mabel shrieked causing Pacifica to jump back and cover her ears. God she was loud!

"...No...?"

"We're fixing that! Tonight! you don't have a choice!"

"Wait...what?"

"Come by the Shack-well technically it's a Library now but, come there for seven and bring something to sleep in and a change of clothes!"

Mabel quickly spun on her heals and ran down the stairs of the school.

"Wait-Mabel!"

"I'll see you tonight!"

Pacifica stood there still in shock at what transpired and completely confused. After a moment she heard a honk and jumped. Her ride had finally arrived.

Well, she'd figure out what Mabel was talking about later.

* * *

It was six o'clock and Pacifica still didn't know what this "Sleepover" thing Mabel had invited her to. She had debated on doing some research on the subject but had refrained mostly because it seemed to be such a common thing there was no way she was going to embarrass herself, even if there was no one around to see.

"Something to sleep in and a change of clothes..." She muttered under her breath, sitting cross legged in front of her travel bag. She had a variety of things spread out around it as well, hair curlers, make up, hair brush, face washing things, a long with a variety of different clothes and shoes. Were there going to be activities? Did she need to bring her golf club for golfing? what if they were going to hike in the woods, she'd need hiking clothes.

But then again, "Sleepover" sounded like it had a lot to do with sleeping so...just her nightgown then? And slippers too, that would probably be a good idea. But then something to "Sleep in"...did Mabel mean sleeping clothes or a bed? Did she need to dig out her camping mattress?

She groaned and tugged on her hair again. Why was she even stressing about this anyway? It's not like Pacifica was actually planning on going over right?

Right?

Pacifica sighed and picked up her hair dryer, staring down at it with a scrutinizing gaze. How was she supposed to go to this thing if she didn't even know what it was?

Dropping the hair dryer she reached over and instead plucked up her cell phone off the foot of her bed where she had been leaning against on the floor. She frowned, scrolling through the contacts before finding the one for the Mystery Shack (why she had the number, she didn't know, but she was pretty sure it had something to do with one of the times Mabel swiped her phone during lunch)

Pressing the dial button she stood up, walking over to the balcony doors and stepping out. It didn't take long before the phone was answered on the other end, the cheerful voice of Mabel ringing into her ear.

"Stanley Pines Memorial Library, your number one source for information on all things Supernatural! This is Mabel, how can I be of service to you this evening?"

Typical Mabel greeting. Pacifica couldn't help but smile, albeit she did roll her eyes as well.

"Yeah, Mabel? It's me."

"Pacifica~! Hey, what's up? Getting ready for this evening I hope~!" There was that normal excited squeal to Mabel's voice and Pacifica was finding it hard to keep a cool, uninterested persona about her. Luckily she was on the phone so that made it a little easier.

"Yeah...About that..." Pacifica drawled out, leaning against the balcony rail and staring at the forest just out of her manors perimeter.

"What? Don't tell me you can't come, we were so excited to have you!"

Pacifica frowned a little. She somehow doubted that Candy and Grenda were at all excited about having Pacifica around for...whatever this thing was they were trying to get her to come to.

"W-Well, no, not exactly," She muttered, biting her lip to hold back a sigh, "I just..." Damn it Pacifica, stop stuttering, you're a Northwest! Northwests don't stutter!

"Would you maybe like to move it to my place instead?"

Wait what? As soon as the words left her mouth Pacifica instantly regretted them. This was a bad idea, a very, very bad idea! What the hell was she thinking?!

The excited gasp on the other end of the phone confirmed the dread in her stomach and Pacifica wanted to throw her phone across the yard off her balcony. But she didn't.

"Omigosh?! Really?! Dude, that would be so awesome!"

"Y-Yeah...I guess..."

How the hell was she going to explain this to her parents?

"I'll give Candy and Grenda a call! We'll be over around seven, I mean, seven is still good right? Of course it's good, See you later, okay byeeee~!"

And the next thing she heard was the long drawn out beep of the tone dial as the line went dead and once again Pacifica cursed herself. She just invited Mabel and her friends over to do god knows what at her house without her parents permission.

And her phone ended up flying across the yard.

* * *

It was almost seven o'clock and the hard part was out of the way. Meaning, Pacifica had come up with a viable excuse to use to her parents to explain why Mabel and her friends were coming over. Albeit a "study date" with "I'm not entirely sure how long it will be" wasn't exactly the best excuse but thankfully (somehow anyway) they bought it.

Of course she then started fidgeting. Waiting wasn't one of her strongest points, she was used to things coming exactly when she wanted them. Then again she was also used to knowing what she was getting into and she still didn't know exactly what to expect. So maybe that was another reason she was so nervous-where were they?!

She groaned slightly, tugging at a lock of hair that had fallen over her shoulder. It was seven. Mabel said they would be here by now! Did punctuality mean nothing to her? As if on cue a knock on her door was heard before it burst open.

"Hi Pacifica!" Mabel stormed in, Candy and Grenda right behind her, smiling like there was no tomorrow. Pacifica stared at them from the spot on her bed but didn't say anything. Not because she didn't wan't to, she had a hell of a lot of things she wanted to say, but because the girls were staring around her room with wide eyed wonder.

"It is almost as big as my house..." Candy muttered, Grenda nodding in agreement with an "uh huh!". Pacifica raised an eyebrow confused for a moment before realizing they were referring to her room. It wasn't that big really, just big enough to include a king sized plush bed, a full vanity table, a walk in closet and her own private bathroom, not to mention a sitting area and a small TV (meaning large flat screen TV) and still have room to walk around and-

Okay, by "normal" standards, her room probably was huge. Sighing Pacifica slid off her bed, watching as Mabel walked towards the glass doors that lead to the balcony.

"Your room is amazing Pacifica."

"It'll be easier to sleep with all of us here rather than at the shack!" Grenda yelled out, plopping down on one of the couches. Mabel turned to her and grinned widely.

"You said it!"

"Whoa, wait, hold on a second!" Pacifica finally managed to get a word in, walking to stand...moderately between all three of the girls, giving them a curious look.

"I don't know exactly what you're thinking about Sleeping, but you guys can't stay very long all right. I told my parents-"

"What?!" Mabel cut in, hopping over to Pacifica and grabbing her arms, "Do you even know what a Sleepover is?! It's Sleep, and Over. Meaning we stay the night and don't sleep at all!"

Pacifica blinked a few times before paling as realization of what exactly was happening occurred.

"Y-You never told me that!" Pacifica yelled in defense, "You were just freaking out cause I've never had one! How was I supposed to know what a Sleepover was?!"

"Well I figured it was obvious," Mabel pouted, "I mean, the word speaks for itself doesn't it?"

Pacifica shifted nervously as Mabel finally let her go. Stupid, she should have realized it sooner! It really was obvious!

"So...do we have to go then?" Candy asked from her spot next to Grenda. Pacifica blinked and turned to the two before back to Mabel. All three of them were wearing hopeful expressions and...

Well she'd never had a Sleepover before anyway so...

"...What's the harm?" She sighed and shrugged, "All right, you can stay. But just this one time."

"Yes!" All three girls cheered and Pacifica herself couldn't help but let out a relaxed smile. Who knows, this could actually be...fun?

"Just one question-"

"I made Dipper promise to stay at home," Mabel grinned as if reading Pacifica's mind, "If he shows up, we get to give him the biggest, girliest make over ever and listen to the cheesiest romance novels and he knows I'm not joking."

The thought was kind of entertaining but Pacifica was just glad Dipper wouldn't be there.

* * *

About half way through the evening and Pacifica was wondering why she had never had one of these before. For the first time in...well, the first time ever really, she had laughed so hard she almost started crying. Twice! And it was amazing how much she actually had in common with them, not that she would say that out loud.

Of course she did blink in shock when Mabel pulled out a trashy romance novel, which happened to be part of a series that was Pacifica's favorite and "You like this series?!"

They had reenacted some of the scenes, from memory almost, and terribly, which was why Pacifica had started laughing hard the first time. Currently Candy and Grenda were going through her Vanity Table, exploring all her different Make Up, while Mabel sat behind her, pulling her hair into a french braid.

"You know Paz, you're really not that bad." Mabel spoke just loud enough for the two of them to hear. Pacifica raised an eyebrow and she would have looked back if Mabel wasn't braiding her hair.

"What do you mean-did you just call me 'Paz'?"

Mabel giggled before responding.

"You always come off so guarded," She continued, fingers moving deftly through her hair, "It's nice to see you loosen up and just...well, having fun. You really are a nice person when you're like this, just like I thought."

Pacifica felt a lump gather in her throat and she swallowed silently, trying to settle the sudden surge of emotions Mabels words had brought on. She kept her eyes trained on Candy and Grenda, watching as they put lipstick on each other.

Part of what Mabel said made a lot of sense, she realized. It had only taken an hour or two before Pacifica had even realized she wasn't holding on to any of the pretenses and appearances she used when she went to social gatherings or public appearances. Or even, she realized slowly, when she was around her parents.

"There, all done!" Mabel's cheerful voice broke through her thoughts and she shifted so she was sitting next to Pacifica, facing her with a smile. Pacifica blinked before slowly turning her gaze to Mabel. Mabels smile dropped when she turned to her, expression shifting into one of worry.

"Hey...are you okay Paz?"

"Huh...?" Pacifica blinked and Mabel reached out, brushing her cheek with the back of her hand.

"You're crying..."

Pacifica stiffened, reaching up to touch her face. Realizing Mabel was right she started rubbing her eyes with the back of her hand, trying to will away the tears. Distantly she heard Candy and Grenda stop what they were doing, coming towards her and Mabel.

"I-I'm fine," Pacifica muttered out, giving a dry laugh, "It's just...it's funny, they won't...I can't stop, I-" Her breath hitched and she bent over, pulling her knees up to her chest and hiding her face in them.

She was a Northwest, Northwest's don't cry. Especially in front of others! She took a few deep breaths, trying to calm herself when she felt a hand on her shoulder, Mabel's, and she shifted closer to her.

"Hey...you wanna talk about it?" Mabel asked. Pacifica didn't respond, just kept her face hidden. Slowly she shifted closer to Mabel, leaning against the other girl who automatically put her arms around her. She smiled despite herself, chuckling a little.

"I guess...you and I are a lot more alike than I realized." She whispered. After all she had been the one to realize Mabel was forcing herself to be happy, hiding behind a mask that was always there. It made sense that Pacifica would notice this herself. After all she had to wear a mask all the time as well.

She felt Mabel's arms tighten around her, and knew that she understood.

"Say, why don't we watch a movie?" she suggested.

"A romance?" Grenda asked.

"How about a comedy?" Candy pipped in. Pacifica felt a smile form on her face and she pushed herself away from Mabel, turning to the other two girls.

"How about a bit of both?" She replied, "There's a collection of rom-com's in the cupboard next to the TV." Whoops of excitement were heard from the two girls before they ran off. Mabel gave Pacifica a smile before getting up and running after her two friends.

It took a total of two seconds before Pacifica burst into a fit of laughter again. The girls had opened the cupboard and Mabel had freaked out.

"Holy fucking shit Pacifica!"

And that was the first time Pacifica ever witnessed Mabel swear. And for some reason that made the situation even funnier.


	3. Chapter 3

Birthday Party

* * *

Hiding disappointment was easy for Pacifica, after all she had to do it almost everyday at east once. This point in time however, when her birthday neared, was getting harder and harder to contain. So when her parents told her that morning that they had a business meeting that they simply could not postpone, Pacifica simply put on a smile, swallowing the lump in her throat and nodded.

"That's fine," She forced out the words as casually as she could muster, "It's not like I had plan's anyway."

It also wasn't like this was her sixteenth birthday either. Her sweet sixteen, the birthday that was supposed to be the biggest one during her teenage years. She was supposed to have a huge birthday bash with guests from all over the country coming to celebrate it, get that car that had not so secretly been hiding in the garage the past few months, among other things.

It was still a few days away anyway. Besides, her shoulders dropped as her parents got up from the table and left, she was used to disappointments. She had only hoped that this year would have been...different.

* * *

"Mabel your brother is messing with my shot again!" Pacifica snapped turning behind her where Mabel and the other girls (Candy, Grenda and Wendy) were sitting. Her bowling ball had once again "Mysteriously" made its way into the gutter and she knew that her current shot would have hit the pins!

Of course Dipper appearing behind Mabel and grinning innocently while muttering "I don't know what she's talking about," did not help her mood. Mabel giggled and pushed her brothers leg, sending him floating over to Wendy.

"Oh c'mon Paz, he's just teasing you." Mabel grinned. Pacifica huffed before picking up her ball again, going in for her second shot.

"Right, because it's only me he does that too. Why not you, or Wendy, or Candy, or even Grenda?" She muttered under her breath, "Nooooo, it has to be me. Stupid god forsaken demon..."

She let the ball go, watching it roll smoothly straight down the centre, more than likely gaining her a strike (or spare in this case but she'd take what she could get) only to have the ball, at the last minute, spin off to the side and into the gutter.

Mabel let out a hoot of laughter and Pacifica saw red. She turned around, sending Dipper the most vicious glare she could muster, to which he only just grinned back.

"Hey, I never moved, ask Wendy."

" 's true dude,"

"...No! Will you stop it already?!" Pacifica shrieked, stomping over to Dipper. All the girls went silent, their laughter lost at Pacifica's outburst.

"Do you have any idea the kind of morning I've had?! The kind of week I've had?!" She snapped, not even caring about the rest of the girls, her anger just solely focused on Dipper who actually seemed to freeze for a moment as well, "I came here to relax and have fun for once, not to be picked on by a stupid ass demon who obviously doesn't like me! I can't blame you for that, but damn it all Dipper!"

Pacifica's vision started to blur and she scrubbed at her eyes, hating the fact that when she got really angry she started crying. It totally ruined her image and normally she would go hide in the bathroom when that happened, but she wasn't done yet.

"Just this once can you please leave me alone?! Is that too much to ask?! is it?!"

Dipper didn't say anything, just stared at her, still in mild shock.

"Answer me!"

"N-No!"

"Then do me a favor, and fuck off!"

Dipper just nodded rapidly, and Pacifica was vaguely aware are the rest of the people there staring at them. She took a deep breath, trying to calm her nerves, being unsuccessful at best and-

God why did she have to be an angry crier? Shaking her head she side stepped around Dipper and Wendy.

"I'm going to the bathroom!"

* * *

"Pacifica?"

Mabel cautiously opened the door to the bathroom door, calling out to her...well, she wasn't sure if she could call Pacifica a friend just yet but she was definitely closer to a friend than an acquaintance. Well, that was all besides the point.

The main point was Mabel was worried.

Sure, Dipper and Paz (she had come to calling her Paz lately, it just seemed to fit better) didn't exactly get along, but she had never gotten this upset before. Mabel was almost positive there was something more bothering Pacifica right now, and if anything she wanted to help.

She saw Paz standing in front of the sink, tap water running steadily but keeping her head low, not even looking into the mirror in front of her. Mabel sighed, closing the door behind her and cautiously walking over to Pacifica.

"Hey...you okay?" She asked, placing a hand on her shoulder. Pacifica didn't respond at first which just made Mabel worry more. After their first sleepover together She had slowly realized how similar the two of them were so at this point in time, her best guess was something was seriously bothering her but she didn't want to tell anyone.

She really needed to stop wearing a mask around her.

"...My birthday's coming up..." Pacifica finally spoke up and Mabel felt a wave of relief wash over her. Followed by confusion.

"That's great Paz! Sweet sixteen right?"

Paz simply shrugged her shoulders and the smile Mabel had put on vanished. This was like Soos all over. Did Paz also not like her birthday? What was up with that? Mabel pouted a little before moving to sit next on the counter next to Pacifica and tilting her head to the side a little.

"You wanna talk about it?" She asked. Paz shrugged again but this time at least looked up at Mabel. Mabel offered her a smile, and Pacifica heaved a sigh which Mabel knew meant she won this.

"Every year, my parents always have something very important that they have to do on my Birthday." She stated simply, moving to turn off the water before turning around, "It's not a big deal. I'm used to it. I'll get some super expensive gift later to make it up for me."

"What?!" Mabel jumped off the counter, running over to Paz and blocking her path before she could leave the washroom, "No, no, no! That's not fair! You should have an actual Party Paz! I mean, we could always throw one for you-"

"No!"

Mabel snapped her mouth shut and blinked a few times in shock at Pacifica's outburst. It wasn't the fact that she yelled that shut Mabel up though, it was the expression on her face. She looked desperate almost, Mabel wasn't sure, but it hurt seeing her with a look like that.

"Paz...I..."

"No..." Paz sighed and shook her head, "Just..." She looked up, offering Mabel a small smile, "Let's go back to bowling okay? We'll talk about this later."

"...Okay." Mabel nodded in agreement, silently making a mental note to herself to definitely get Pacifica to talk more later. She wanted to help, even if Pacifica didn't think she needed it.

* * *

All in all, Pacifica had done a pretty good job at avoiding Mabel's questions the next few days, not wanting to really talk about her birthday. It was hard enough hiding her disappointment without having to have Mabel pry into it. Besides, the way she saw it, there was no point in talking about it since it's not like it would solve anything.

Why get depressed for no reason?

Of course then her parent's told her they were throwing a Party tonight, the night before her birthday, for absolutely no reason. None. What so ever. It was like they totally just disregarded her, again!

She wanted to scream.

But instead she didn't. She just smiled sweetly and did the best next thing in her mind.

"Mind if I bring someone with this time?"

"An Escort?"

"No, mom, a friend." The word felt foreign on her tongue and it was weird how she managed to keep a straight face in saying it. But she did, and the look of surprise on her mother's face was priceless to say the least. She couldn't deny the feel of satisfaction she got at that either.

"...Well...I suppose that's okay."

"Thanks." Pacifica didn't even bother to stick around, knowing her mother would ask more questions, specifically who she was going to invite, and there was no way she was going to ruin that little surprise.

So she headed to her room, picked up her cell, and dialed up Mabel.

Mabel was, of course, more than willing to come over, even on such short notice. Which made sense. Mabel loved her manor, Pacifica was well aware of this. So she wasn't surprised when Mabel was over in the next twenty minutes.

She wasn't surprised when Mabel launched into an attack on trying to talk about her birthday.

Pacifica kept her cool though, ignoring the barrage of questions and "C'mon Pacifica you promised." and just walked over to her closet. The last time Mabel had been here was with Candy and Grenda for the sleepover, but they hadn't gone into her closet, which Pacifica was grateful for. They had made a mess of her Vanity table.

Mabel followed close behind, continuing with her questions, and Pacifica just calmly opened the double doors to her closet.

Mabel promptly shut up and stared.

Her closet was about the size of a normal bedroom, with rows and rows of different dresses, shoes, and accessories amongst other things. (it was about twice the size as Gideon's dressing room but since Paz had never been there she couldn't make the comparison.)

"My parents are throwing a Gala of some kind tonight, care to join me?"

Mabel blinked a few times before slowly turning to Pacifica, blinked a few more times then back to the closet. Pacifica waited for Mabel to process the information, which took a few more minutes.

Finally Mabel shrieked and ran into the closet.

Pacifica smirked.

Revenge on parents, success.

* * *

"You okay Mabel?"

Pacifica stood casually next to Mabel, handing her...well she suppose she could call her a friend, a glass of sparkling cider. Mabel took it and sighed, not getting up from her slouched forward position on the bench she was on.

"I dunno Pacifica," Mabel muttered, "I just figured a Gala would be...you know, more fun than this." She waved her free hand out in front of her, gesturing to the room of people. All fancily dressed up, making small talk, classical music playing in the background. It wasn't anything new to Pacifica, but it kind of made sense that it wasn't really Mabel's scene, even if she had gone out of her way to get Mabel dressed to fit in.

Well, as best she could anyway. Mabel insisted on wearing a pink poofy skirt that was probably one of Pacifica's old Ballet dresses back when she took classes (her parents pulled her when she didn't get the leading roll in Swan Lake and the teacher refused to change the selection), a pale green sash was tied around her waist into a bow at the back and an off shoulder red shirt with lace around the cuff of the sleeves. Red knee high boots and a darker green ribbon in her hair topped off the ensemble.

Pacifica had to admit, if anyone other than Mabel tried to pull of such an outfit, it wouldn't have worked.

Offering Mabel a smile Pacifica pushed back her braided hair before taking a seat next to her.

"I know," She agreed, "That's why I asked you to join me."

"Huh?" Mabel cocked an eyebrow and looked at Pacifica in pure confusion. Pacifica's smile grew and she shrugged.

"My birthday's tomorrow and my parent's decided to throw this party instead of something for me." She stated simply. Mabel's confused expression grew and Pacifica's grin turned into somewhat of a smirk.

"Care to liven things up a bit?"

This time Mabel grinned.

"Though you'd never ask!" Mabel shot up, her untouched drink forgotten on the seat next to her. Pacifica stood up as well, watching Mabel curiously as she stared at thought at the "party" around them. After a moment of silent contemplation Mabel snapped her fingers and turned to an empty space of air and-

wait Dipper was here?

...Well Pacifica wasn't going to complain, that was just going to make her revenge even sweeter. But here's hoping Mabel had the sense not to summon her brother.

...Oh god Mabel please don't summon Dipper.

She let out a breath of relief she didn't even realize she'd been holding as Mabel had a quick conversation with Dipper before giving a wave and turning back to Pacifica, grinning widely.

"Now, we can't have a party with out party music, and really," Mabel placed her hands on her hips and Pacifica let out a small laugh, knowing already things were going to go nuts, "This small Gala is now Pacifica Northwest's very own sixteenth birthday."

As if on cue a mic appeared in Mabel's hands and the girl in question ran forward, climbing onto a chair, then the onto the refreshments table, and punching her fist into the air.

"Hit it bro-bro!"

There was a screech from the speakers as the Classical music suddenly stopped and before anyone could say anything the low strumming of a pop song started playing and-

Pacifica grinned widely as Mabel started singing along to the opening chorus of &andra's "Not gonna live long". Some of the older guests stared at her like she was an embarrassment, and Pacifica heard her mother's shocked gasp followed by a glass shattering on the floor.

The younger ones, teen's in Pacifica and Mabel's age range all flocked towards the one woman concert, bouncing with mild excitement as Mabel danced across the tables and chairs, and surprisingly not ruining any of the food as she carried on.

"Oh my god," a girl next to Pacifica, Mindy if she remembered correctly, exclaimed, "This girl's a riot holy crap!" Pacifica turned to Mindy and grinned.

"I know right!" She agreed. Before Mindy could even respond Mabel had jumped down and grabbed Pacifica's hand, twirling her forward causing Pacifica to laugh. The ended up back to back, hands clasped between them and grinning wildly.

"Let's make the most of the night like we're not gonna live long!"

* * *

So Pacifica was confined to her room for a week. Aaaand she kinda lost out on getting that super awesome car this year as well. She'd still get it again in a few months anyway, after all it was going to be for her.

But let's be serious here, being confined in her room, which was pretty but a small bachelor pad as it was, wasn't that big of a deal. And to top it off Pacifica had made quite a few contacts with some of the other teens who had been dragged to last night's Gala. Which meant more "parties" for her so long as she brought Mabel.

Like seriously, Mabel was a hit! Pacifica wasn't expecting that at all.

However, she had to admit, that small little revenge on her parent's felt great.

Hopefully now they wouldn't forget her birthday again.

Pacifica smiled and sent off a quick text to Mabel.

"Thanks."


	4. Chapter 4

Honestly, Pacifica was bored. It was the last day of her grounding after crashing the party her parents had thrown. Fully justifiable. Pacifica didn't feel bad about it at all. That had certainly miffed her parents to say the least and it was obvious they were still upset at her for not learning her lesson.

Then again they hadn't fully been able to control her since that day back before the Transcendence, when Dipper had helped give her the courage to stand up to them. Sure that didn't last long, she couldn't deny that she was still slightly nervous around them, and when Mabel and Dipper left after the Transcendence the courage they had given her left as well.

She was only just learning to bring it back.

It didn't change the fact that she was bored. Sighing Pacifica flopped back on her bed, hair sprawled beneath her. This day was dragging on too long.

"You said it. God has today been boring."

It took Pacifica a moment before she registered the voice in room. It took her another moment to realize the voice had been echoing her thoughts, and then another to realize there should be anyone in her room.

She shot up, grabbing the first thing she could (a pillow) and brandishing it behind her ready to throw.

Only to stop when she realized it was Dipper.

"Wha? Dipper?!" Okay she still launched the pillow, Dipper just grinning and ducking before it hit, "What are you doing in my room?! Who the hell invited you?!"

"I did."

God damn that cocky grin to hell and...why the hell was she finding it, well for lack of better words, sexy? She mentally shook her head, hoping Dipper didn't realize that thought before continuing to glare at him.

"That's not a good enough reason!" She protested. "You don't just come into somebody's room, let alone a girls room, unannounced!"

Dipper tilted his head, raising an eyebrow curiously looking genuinely confused.

"Why not? Mabel doesn't mind."

"Yeah well Mabel's your sister." Pacifica shot back, shifting to sit at the foot of her bed, legs crossed beneath her, "Of course she's not going to mind."

Dippers response was to hum, tilt his head to the side and just float over so he was lounging in the air next to her. No more words were passed between them and frankly it was a little awkward. At least for Pacifica. Dipper just sat there staring up into the distance, probably looking at things she couldn't see.

"...So...?" She started picking at the edge of her blanket with her perfectly manicured nails, "You're solid. That's new."

"Not really." Dipper responded, "I just got out from a cult summoning."

"Oh?"

"Yup." He emphasized the P with a little popping noise before nonchalantly inspecting his nails. They were really sharp Pacifica noticed, but she chose to keep that to herself. Something also told her that there was no way she was going to be able to get anything more out of Dipper from that.

Another awkward silence fell then.

"...Say, Dipper?" She really hated silence, may as well try and break it. Dipper hummed in response, turning to look over at her. Pacifica opened her mouth a few times to try and get a sentence out before sighing. She turned forward, choosing not to face him and continued to pick at the edge of her blanket.

"...What happened?" She eventually asked, "You know...between us?"

"Huh?"

"I-I mean," Pacifica shook her head, realizing how weird that sounded out loud, "You remember the Manor incident, with the ghost and stuff? We...actually started getting along back then. So what happened? Why did we go from becoming friends to...this?"

Dippers response didn't come immediately and for a long moment Pacifica wondered if he even would. He did eventually though, giving a long sigh at first, turning his gaze from Pacifica to her bedroom window.

"A lot of things." He began, "Bill, the Transcendence, my...turning into a Demon. We left Gravity Falls, and I think the only people Mabel and I kept in touch with were Grunkle Stan, Soos and Wendy."

He gave another sigh, leaning back in the air, ankles crossing over each other and arms crossed over his chest.

"When we came back, you treated us the same way you always did. Like we were beneath you. I guess, at least from my perspective, I felt you didn't care about us anyway. If you were going to be a bitch I was gonna be one right back."

"Hey!" Pacifica let out a protest at the insult and Dipper just laughed, head lolling back and mouth open. Pacifica tried to keep a serous expression but ended up laughing instead.

Calming down she let out a sigh, dropped her legs to the floor but not standing up from the bed, toeing the carpet. She really needed to stop fidgeting.

"Without you and Mabel, I was kind of lost to tell the truth," Pacifica admitted, "You guys...helped me stand up to my parents, but then the Transcendence happened and, well..." She let out a sigh and looked up, staring at the ceiling, "Everyone was freaking out, including my parents, and their...discipline got worse."

" Ẁ̛ha̶̷̡t̨͞͠ "

Pacifica jumped when Dippers voice changed, looking up at him in surprised. His relaxed position in the air had shifted, leaning forward, hands curled in front of him in a claw like gesture. Pacifica gulped, having never seen Dipper in a more demonic mode.

"D-Dipper?"

"Ho͡w̸ ̢dąre͞ the̸y..̵..I͡'l̷l͞ m̢a̶k̨e͠ th̛e̡i̸r li̶ve͏s͡ a͡ l͞ív̀i͠ng̶ he҉ll ̡if ̷t́hey ȩv̷e̵r-̀-"

"Dipper wait!" Pacifica interrupted, mustering up her courage despite the heaviness in the air that was currently making it hard to breath, "It's fine! It's not a big deal!" Dipper turned to look at her, eyes nearly fully blown gold and Pacifica felt her breath hitch. Without thinking she crawled backwards on her bed, attempting to get away from Dipper.

She always knew he was a demon, but seeing him now, it suddenly hit home. Dipper was a Demon. And he was here, in her room, and angry, and she was scared.

Oh god she was scared. Those eyes were not Dippers!

Something must have clicked though because a moment later Dipper blinked, and the air cleared and Pacifica took some much needed breath. Dipper floated back, a look of disbelief on his face and distantly Pacifica realized he hadn't been in control of himself.

But she couldn't convince herself of that and at this point in time she was still scared of him.

"...I-I'm...I'm sorry..." And with that Dipper blinked out.


	5. Chapter 5

"Well someone's gotten a bit better haven't we?" Pacifica smiled cheekily at Mabel, her friend having gotten a hole in one at the 13th hole. She took a peek at their score cards, marking down Mabels score and comparing it to her own. Mabel certainly had gotten a lot better (now that she wasn't cheating) and they were almost tied!

Almost.

Pacifica was still winning.

Mabel grinned and grabbed the card from Pacifica, skipping over to the next hole.

"I've never been bad at the sport Paz, or did you forget."

"Oh no, I remember," Paz grinned, following Mabel. She dropped her ball onto the edge of the green carpet, and setting her club up and testing her aim, "I also remember nearly being killed by a bunch of tiny golf ball people!" Raising her club she hit the ball, sending it straight through the course yet surprisingly just falling short from getting a hole in one.

No worries though, she was still winning.

"Ahaha...yeah, about that..."

"It's cool Mabel," Pacifica shrugged and stepped back, allowing Mabel to take her shot. Mabel just gave her an uneasy smile before shrugging and taking her own shot. The ball ran across the course, sailing smoothly over the hole only to roll around it to the other side, bouncing off the barrier and coming to a stop next to Pacifica's ball.

"Damn it!"

Pacifica grinned before walking over to her ball, tapping it gently into the hole. This friendly little game continued in this was for the next few holes, their scores remaining neck and neck and to Pacifica's delight, she was still in the lead.

"Eighteenth hole." Mabel muttered, staring down at the score sheet, "If I get this I could totally beat you!"

"That's assuming I miss." Pacifica shot back. The two girls stared at each other for a long moment, sizing the other up like the rivals they used to be. Only Mabel puffed out her cheeks and burst into giggles, causing Pacifica to laugh herself.

"How about this?" Mabel started, setting her ball down and testing her shot a few times, "I get a hole in one here and it doesn't matter who wins or looses, but you have to tell me what happened between you and Dipper?"

"What?" Pacifica stiffened, staring at Mabel in shock. She thought she knew what she was talking about but...there was no way she could be referring to...

"I'm not stupid you know," Mabel turned her gaze from her golf ball, giving Pacifica a stern look, "Ever since you got off your grounding, whenever I go to hang out with you Dipper decides to stay behind but he wont tell me why. I figured something must have happened between you two without my knowledge and while I don't normally pry I'm worried."

Pacifica shifted a little, slightly nervous. The memory of her last day of grounding and Dipper's random visit came rushing back to her vividly. Along with the fear. She really didn't want to talk to Mabel about that; Having people Mabel cared about fear her brother was something Pacifica knew bothered her.

But at the same time...maybe telling Mabel would help. Biting her lip she shrugged, coming to a simple conclusion. The chances of Mabel actually getting a hole in one in the final hole were slim after all, may as well agree to the terms.

"Fine, but only if you ace the shot."

Mabel grinned and Pacifica felt her stomach drop. The ball went sailing and lights started flickering while the fake dragon head shot out flames from its open mouth, a synthetic roar echoing around the park.

"Now talk, woman!"

* * *

They sat at Greesy's Diner, and while Pacifica was feeling extremely uncomfortable it actually had very little to do with the fact that she was sitting in a third rate Diner with ripped worn out booths, dirty floors, flies buzzing around the kitchen and more to do with the fact that Mabel was sitting there staring at her.

Quietly.

Not even blinking.

Pacifica shifted, hearing a ripped seem from the booth tear open with the movement, and took a sip of her drink, eyes looking anywhere but at Mabel.

"Mabel I..." Pacifica chanced a glance at her friend who had moved to fold her arms on the table between them, eyes staring at the edges of her sweater.

"Mabel...please say something?"

"Like what?" Mabel's voice sounded strained and hurt, something Pacifica wasn't used to hearing from the almost always cheerful girl, "Someone I was slowly starting to consider one of my best friends tells me they're scared of my brother? What exactly am I supposed to say to that?"

"Mabel I-"

"The way you're talking...you sound like my parent's almost...it hurts..."

Pacifica sucked in a small breath at that, the regret of having said anything and the words she chose hitting her like a tone of bricks. She knew Mabel's parent's cared about them, but she also knew that they feared their son despite all that. She wasn't entirely sure how she felt about them but she did know that being compared to them by Mabel was...

She shook her head.

"Mabel it's not like that!" She stated reaching forward with one and and grabbing hold of Mabel's wrist, "I like you and Dipper, you're the first friends I've ever had that are actually reach and not because of money! If the Transcendence hadn't happened the distance that we're only just getting over wouldn't have been here!

"What happened with Dipper was..." She trailed off for a minute, trying to think of a good way to put it into words, Mabel slowly looking up at her at the same time, "When you returned, every one in Gravity Falls knew that...I knew that Dipper was a Demon, but it never really registered until last week."

"So now that it was you're scared of him?"

"No! That's not what I'm saying!" Pacifica shook her head, "I'm scared of the Demon, not the dork that is your brother. I had never seen the demon before then Mabel. I'm allowed to be scared!"

Mabel didn't say anything in response and once again Pacifica felt awkward. What else could she say to make Mabel understand. You can't just see a demon for the first time and not be scared, Dipper wasn't her family the way he was Mabel's...

But the twins were the closest thing she had to it...

Letting got of Mabels wrist Pacifica leaned back into her seat, folding her hands on her lap and staring down at them. She was going to loose the only person she could truly consider a friend, and over something as stupid as a fear of something she couldn't control.

"...He tries you know," Mabel spoke softly, and Pacifica slowly glanced up at her from beneath her bangs, "He know's that sometimes the things he does...the way he reacts to things, that they aren't normal. That they aren't human. But you need to understand that he was always awkward growing up, sticking to books and puzzles instead of learning how to interact with others...he never had a lot of friends."

Mabel shifted, turning her gaze to look out the window and resting her cheek on her hand, the other hand idly playing with her hair.

"So when the...Transcendence happened...when...when it occurred, well," Mabel sighed and shrugged a little, "He never had a chance to learn normal social interactions, and with two sides of himself battling between human and demon, it can be really hard on him to remember what's acceptable and what isn't."

"...I kind of understand that..." Pacifica muttered softly causing Mabel to look over questioningly. Pacifica shrugged before continuing, "The whole, not really knowing how to socialize normally. I still fuck up around others, thanks to the way I was raised."

Mabel gave a small nod.

"So...can you at least try to look past the demon Pacifica? Please?"

Pacifica shifted nervously in her seat once more. It was a simple request, but as small as it sounded what was expected of her was huge. She couldn't simply overlook what she had seen, what the implications of the threat he was making towards her parent's meant.

However one look at Mabel and Pacifica felt herself sigh and give a nod. That look on Mabel's face. There was no way she could have said no. She needed to figure out some way to get over it though, to remind herself that yes, Dipper was a Demon, but he was still Dipper despite all that.

Something...

Wait...that could work!

"Say Mabel," Pacifica started cautiously, fingers curling around each other nervously, "Can you teach me how to summon your brother?"


	6. Chapter 6

Pacifica stares at the piece of paper in front of her, or more specifically what was written on it. Dippers Summoning Circle stuck out at her like a neon sign and so many warning bells were going off in her head she couldn't even place them all.

Most of them due to her parents views and what she was raised listening too, especially after the Transcendence.

But this wasn't about them, this was about her. And about Dipper. Pacifica needed to get it through her head that the dork who helped her out all those years ago was now a demon, but still Dipper. She couldn't separate them anymore, she knew that.

Taking a deep breath she set the paper down on the floor, and pulled out a bar of chocolate, Snickers specifically. Mabel had told her the best way to summon Dipper in a way he'd know it was friends and/or family, so there wasn't any way this could go wrong...right?

She bit her lip, once again contemplating her options before shaking her head.

"Get it together Pacifica, you said you'd do this now don't back out now..."

Giving a firm nod of her head she pricked her finger with a pin, holding it out over the circle and letting the blood drip down onto it.

"Hey Dipper, can we talk?" A chant was usually needed, in Latin, but Mabel said Dipper would respond to friends without all of that. And that's what she was right? A friend?

...She hoped she was at least.

For a moment nothing happened and Pacifica let out a breath she hadn't realized she had been holding. Of course Dipper wouldn't come...

Pacifica sighed, uncrossing her legs and moving to stand up when she felt a stir in the air. She paused her motions, blinking and looking up at wear Dipper was now floating. They stared awkwardly at each other for a long moment before Dipper coughed, reaching down and picking up the snickers she had put in the circle earlier.

"...next time, just use the candy, you don't need both it and blood." He muttered out.

"Er...right." Pacifica responded, shifting nervously. Dipper seated himself on the floor in front of her, legs crossed and casually opened the candy bar to take a bite.

"So what did you want to talk about anyway?" He asked. He was trying to sound casual, Pacifica could see that, but he kept avoiding looking at her and she could only guess as to why.

The awkwardness from their last talk still thick in the air.

"..." How was she supposed to bring this up again? Maybe just being blunt would work but she wasn't too sure. Dipper chanced a glance at her during the silence but just as quickly he turned to look around her room, only to stare at her vanity mirror.

A silver one.

"...When...?"

"Oh, that?" Pacifica turned to look at it as well before laughing a little, "I got it soon after the manor ghost. To tell the truth, ghosts have sort of freaked me out since then."

"Well having everyone turn to wood by a vengeful spirit does that. I'd be surprised if you weren't scared of them to tell the truth."

"That's true..." Pacifica muttered in response. Silence hit again and she shifted, fingers picking at the carpet she was seated at.

"Look...Dipper," She finally started, catching his attention to look back at her, "Can we just...pretend that never happened?"

"The manor ghost?"

"No, I don't want to forget that," Pacifica shook her head, "I mean what happened the last time we spoke. I don't want to be scared of you," Dipper flinched a little at that but Pacifica ignored it, "I want to carry on taking jabs at each other, getting on each others nerves, being...some weird form of friends yet enemies at the same time because...well...that was fun, you know?"

Dipper blinked slowly, giving a small nod of his head but didn't say anything. Pacifica shifted again, choosing to look away from Dipper.

"I like what we have and I like what I have with Mabel. I don't...I don't want to loose that over something none of us can control. Demon or not..." Pacifica trailed off before taking a deep breath and looking Dipper straight in the eye, "Demon or not you're still that goofy dork who drove me crazy back when we were kids."

Silence once more. Dipper didn't respond and Pacifica felt herself get even more nervous and unsettled by it. Maybe she shouldn't have said anything...

"Hey Paz,"

Pacifica blinked, looking up at Dipper. They stared at each other for another moment before Dippers mouth twitched into a teasing smirk.

"You're the worst."

"Oh shut up!" Pacifica laughed, grabbing a pillow from the couch behind her and launching it at him.

Well, at least she could successfully say things were back to normal.


End file.
